Luke kept silent and just stared straight at her.Madam Mallory thought that it was because Luke was thinking about something. However, he did not speak even after a full minute.Madam Mallory thought that Luke was looking down on her. She was fuming that he did not seize the opportunity even when she gave him an out. She said to the driver with a stern expression, "Drive."The driver heard her and hurriedly started the car.Madam Mallory slammed the door and left.When the bodyguards blocking the road saw that, they got into their cars as well and left.Luca breathed a sigh of relief. Her nerves were tense, but it was not because she was afraid that Luke would betray her for the sake of maintaining the harmony between Crawford and Mallory families. She was just worried that Madam Mallory would try to force Luke.Madam Mallory’s men certainly would not be able to hurt Luke, but it was hard to say whether he would get hurt trying to protect her.After the Mallory family’s bodygu
Nina looked at him. She had something to say, but she hesitated.She wanted to ask him why. ‘Why is he asking me to leave the matter alone when it’s something that everyone would know is wrong without having to think twice? Could it be that there’s a secret behind all this?’Luke should never have betrayed Bianca, even if there was another reason behind it. Even if he no longer loved her, he should end the relationship with her righteously. However, Bianca was exiled abroad, while Luca was by his side.It was not that Nina thought that Luca was bad. She just thought that it was wrong for her to intervene in Luke and Bianca’s relationship.However, Percy told her to stay out of it...Percy held Nina in his arms seeing that she was staying silent. "There are many things that the fewer people know, the better. I promise that when the timing is right, I’ll tell you everything."Nina knew that there must be a plan in motion, so she did not continue to pursue the matter. However, s
"Do you have any concerns?" Luke asked, seeing her hesitant expression.He knew her so well that he could even decipher what she was thinking about with just a micro-expression.Luca shook her head as she could not ask the question she had in mind. "It's nothing."Luke's gaze sank, but he did not press on. "Let's go. We’re going to be late if we leave any later."Luca nodded and left the house with him.Luke drove, and when they passed the villa’s entrance, Luca noticed that the contractor of the villa next door was already embellishing the door.She said softly, "Is the renovation work next door almost completed?""Mm, Louis and the others will soon be moving in." Luke took a glance and continued to drive toward the entrance of the community."Louis?" Luca looked at him. ’The villa is Louis'?’Luke nodded in answer.Luca did not say anything. ‘He planned all these on purpose…’He first arranged for her to move to the villa, then he moved in. Not long after, the children mov
"What happened? Tell me about it," Susan asked quickly. She did not intend to let go of anything she could use against Luke because this might be the evidence she needed to bring him down and make Louis come to power in the future."Tell you? Are you able to tell him off?" Madam Mallory wondered. After all, Susan was not Luke's biological mother."Why not? No matter what, I'm still his mother. When Allison doesn't know how to educate her son, I’m the one who steps forward," Susan said.Madam Mallory nodded. No matter what, Susan was the legal wife of Zachary Crawford.Even though his biological mother was around, Luke still addressed Susan as ‘Mother.’ "Doesn't Luke already have a wife? I found out that he’s very close to Luca Craw and there’s a high chance that they’re living together," Madam Mallory said. She did not mention what had happened the day prior.After all, she impulsively wanted to kidnap Luca. It was illegal, so she did not want to say anything about it.When Sus
"How much did you overhear from the conversation between me and Mrs. Mallory?" Susan asked. The maid was responsible for delivering food and drinks to Allison. She was usually the one in contact with Allison.The maid's body shook as she uttered, "Madam Susan, I didn't hear anything.""Very well. If someone else knows about what we talked about, I’ll know that you accidentally overheard it and spread the news. You’re aware of the consequences, yes?" Susan threatened the maid. Although Old Master Crawford was still in control of the Crawford family, she still had the ability to frame the maid and have her fired.The maid nodded quickly and said, "I understand. I didn't hear anything."The maid cleared the cups and snacks on the coffee table. Then, she got a text from Allison, so she immediately went upstairs.She knocked on the door of the room, and Allison's voice came from inside. "Come in."The maid opened the bedroom door and saw Allison's face. She was frightened and could no
"Dr. Craw? I went downstairs with her just now but I don’t think she was going for lunch." Jason reported truthfully but wondered why Luke did not call her directly.‘Aren’t they already living together? Why are they still so awkward when they’re in the office?After all, Luke was the boss of the company. Jason did not think that should be the case.No one would dare say anything even if he used a public tool for private use."Where did she go?" Luke asked even though he had an answer in his heart. If she went downstairs and did not go for lunch, she was probably too tired. Hence, she went to the office downstairs to rest.He glanced at Luca's office. It was a temporary office that used to be a vacant utility room, so there was not enough space for a sofa that could fit her."I think she’s in the lab." Jason looked at his thoughtful expression and felt a little uneasy.Luke turned around and walked to his office. When he thought that Luca might not eat and just sleep until the e
Madam Mallory glanced at the ward number and found that it was a VIP ward.She guessed that whoever Queenie was taking care of was not simple. Otherwise, why would they be in the VIP ward? On top of that, her men could not find out who was in the ward.‘Is it Jack Norman?’Madam Mallory thought that it would not be possible as she saw the news of Jack in the newspaper that morning. He was attending various events, so he could not be in the VIP ward for treatment.‘Could the person in the ward be Luke's wife, Bianca?’After all, Bianca was supposedly studying abroad but no one knew where she was studying nor the specific details.Maybe she got sick and Queenie brought her back to be secretly treated…If it was Bianca, she could use her to mess with Luca.‘Luca likes to be a mistress, huh? If Bianca appears in front of her, Luke won’t be able to protect her anymore.’The longer a man was in Luke’s position, the more afraid he would be of getting into scandals that could affect h
Madam Mallory certainly would not let Queenie know that she had been waiting for her, so she made up an excuse. "My son is hospitalized because he's not feeling well, so I'm here."Queenie frowned, her mood heavy. Leia's illness made her empathize with Madam Mallory. She looked at her worriedly and asked, "Is your son alright?""The situation is not optimistic." Madam Mallory secretly rejoiced when she saw that Queenie responded rather positively. She turned around and waited for the elevator with her. "The doctor can't find out the root cause, so he can only rely on painkillers and valium to stabilize his condition.""It's that serious..." Queenie's brows furrowed deeper. She thought of Leia,She had been taking medicine and would go home to recuperate when she got better. However, if her condition took a turn for the worse, she would have to be hospitalized again.The medicine that Luca prescribed was effective, but Leia's willfulness made her condition worse. The medicine had n
Luca walked over to another couch and sat down. “I think I’ll stay here. How about letting Luke come down so that we can all catch up? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”Gordan’s face fell. “Ms. Craw, are you doing this on purpose?”Luca pretended not to know anything. “Doing what on purpose?”Gordan quickly shook his head. “Nothing. Just go upstairs already. Brother Luke’s been waiting for you.”Luca had intended to tease Gordan a little longer, but after not seeing Luke for the past few days, she found herself missing him deeply. Standing up with a smile, she said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Oh, by the way, Mr. Gale, could you help me pick up a few things? Someone over there asked me to get them, and I couldn’t refuse.”“Sure, no problem. What do you need?” Gale agreed immediately.After handing him the list, Luca turned and headed upstairs.Gale watched Luca leave from behind, nudging Gordan’s arm. “Let’s go. We should leave and give the boss and Ms. Cr
The security guard remained completely unfazed.This was because the village chief was his uncle, and in their tight-knit community, they always stuck together and never favored outsiders.With directions from the people inside the ancestral hall, Hera found the village chief.“You’re the village chief, right?” Hera looked at the man in his fifties in front of her and spoke with an arrogant tone, completely unbothered.“And you are?” The village chief, seeing her attitude, was puzzled. He had no idea whether she was an investor or someone looking to discuss a major partnership to bring development to their quiet village.“It doesn’t matter who I am. I see you have surveillance here, and I need to review your footage,” replied Hera.The village chief was even more confused. “Are you a police officer?”“No.” Hera frowned. She thought reviewing surveillance footage was no big deal. Why was this village chief being so difficult?The village chief gave her a look as if she were a fo
“Wait a little longer. By the way, what kind of ancestral hall is this?” asked Hera.“It's a local family's ancestral hall. I heard it's been designed by the owner of a large company, and now it's also one of the tourist attractions.” The taxi driver was not from around here, so he did not know all the details, but he knew it had become a popular spot. “Now, thanks to the reputation of that boss, many architects come here as one of their reference points.”Hera frowned deeper. What was Luca doing here?The driver suggested, “If you're interested in sightseeing, the attractions inside are pretty good. But for outsiders, they charge an entrance fee. Maintenance costs a lot of money, so they charge tourists from outside.”“I'm not here for sightseeing,” replied Hera, “Don't worry. I'll pay you for however long I stay here. You’ll get your money.”The driver heard that she was paying, and did not press her further and remained quiet.Hera stared at the entrance of the ancestral hall,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di